1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus, system, and method for monitoring tissue modification during an electrosurgical procedure and, more particularly, to an apparatus, system and method that utilize the reflection of electromagnetic waves from a boundary defined by one or more biological materials having different dielectric properties.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrosurgical generators are employed by surgeons in conjunction with electrosurgical instruments to perform a variety of surgical procedures. An electrosurgical generator generates and modulates electrosurgical energy which, in turn, is applied to the tissue by an electrosurgical instrument. Electrosurgical instruments may be either monopolar or bipolar and may be configured for open or endoscopic procedures.
Using electrosurgical instruments to ablate, seal, cauterize, coagulate, and/or desiccate tissue may result in some degree of “collateral tissue damage” to adjacent tissue. For example, thermal spread across adjacent tissue structure may result during any of the aforementioned electrosurgical procedures. For the purposes herein the term “thermal spread” refers generally to the heat transfer (heat conduction, heat convection or electrical current dissipation) traveling along the periphery of the electrically conductive surfaces.
Currently available systems and methods for controlling an electrosurgical generator during electrosurgery may include a clinician monitoring and adjusting, as necessary, the amount of energy delivered to a tissue site through current, voltage, impedance, and/or power measurements such that an appropriate tissue effect can be achieved at the tissue site with minimal collateral damage resulting to adjacent tissue. These systems and/or methods typically require a clinician to translate the desired tissue effect to a power setting on an electrosurgical generator and, if necessary, adjust the power setting to compensate for tissue transformations (e.g., desiccation of tissue) associated with the electrosurgical procedure such that a desired tissue effect may be achieved.
As can be appreciated, reducing thermal spread or the like during an electrosurgical procedure reduces the likelihood of unintentional or undesirable collateral damage to surrounding tissue structures which are adjacent to an intended treatment site. Controlling and/or monitoring the depth of thermal spread during an electrosurgical procedure may aid a clinician in assessing tissue modification and/or transformation during the electrosurgical procedure.